Mithrin VII: Knowing You
by Geale
Summary: Picks up almost immediately after 'Holding You'. Legolas arrived in Rivendell, found Estel, and now there are issues to consider... Aragorn/Legolas SLASH. Please observe rating.


**The story: **This is the seventh part in the Mithrin series, following 'Holding You'. It's yet another long one-shot set in Rivendell around seventy years before the War. From Thranduil, Legolas learnt Estel's true identity and rode to Rivendell to find him, which he did. After plenty of angst, night came and they fell asleep in Estel's bed. This part picks up a few hours after that.

Despite the extensive, in-depth summary above, it's necessary to have read the other parts in this series to properly understand this one.

**Timeline: **This takes place in the Third Age (III) 2951, in the same year as the rebuilding of Barad-dûr (The Dark Tower) commences on the plateau of Gorgoroth in Mordor. Now Aragorn has turned 20 and come of age, and has therefore been told of his ancestry.

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

**Warning: **This is an Aragorn/Legolas pairing, which means SLASH. This part also contains a dose of awkwardness, and an unhealthy, very large, amount of fluff. You have been warned.

**A/N: **I do feel a need to finish all of my current, ongoing stories. New projects await and therefore I now announce the upcoming end to this series. In a little while.

**Knowing You**

**The hidden valley of Imladris, **

**Tuilë, III 2951**

Slowly I awaken.

The timid light of early morning carries a whitish hue that will turn to gold when Anor rises above the treetops. There must be dew clinging to the grass but even if the window-openings were uncovered, my eyes would not have sought it out. For your soft breathing is sifting through your bedchamber, enveloping me in a loose embrace.

In our sleep we have untangled and you lie some inches away, and across your back floats the glow of day. Your head is turned to the side and you are facing me. Your dark hair is tousled and partially covers your cheek and forehead. I would brush it away to see more of you, but I will myself to lie still.

I wonder at the night which has passed – and the evening before. And the days preceding them both. They have left shadows within; neither you nor I are unaffected though this moment could not be more peaceful. The remnants of my dreams are hazy, nothing more than dark sensations that have no faces. I force them away for this morning is too precious to be sacrificed to such a mighty force.

Beside me you sigh in your sleep and I wish I knew _your_ dreams. Then I change my mind, for I would not burden you with mine.

There is perfect stillness around us as you sigh once more and shift slightly. Maybe such completion is unknown to you?

I can restrain myself no longer. Gingerly I lean forward to brush away your hair and place a feather light kiss on your cheekbone, unsure if I wish to wake you or not. But the decision is not mine to make and a slow smile spreads across your lips.

_Meleth._

"Legolas?" Your whisper is as soft as your breathing.

I reply by placing another kiss next to the first one.

_I love you._

The smile is still playing in the corner of your mouth.

"_Adan nin,"_ I mumble against your skin, pressing a third kiss into it.

Sleepily you reach out for me and I feel your hand in my hair, stroking it gently. Your warm breath tickles my skin as you raise an eyebrow, still with your eyes closed.

"My Elf..."

"Yes."

_Always._

Your smile is the sign we both need. More acutely than ever you know now that you are human, and no matter how deeply you might wish it to be otherwise, this is the truth.

You roll onto your side and pull me close, draping an arm around me and burying your face in my hair. I lift your hand to my mouth and kiss your open palm, exploring the skin that is less smooth than my own but darker and beautiful. You find ways to dive beneath my hair and your lips find my neck. They tentatively brush over my skin, sending small sparks of joy through me. You are warm and comforting, and I lose myself in the sensation of having you so close.

While my eyes drift shut I run my fingertips along your clothed arm as far as I can reach, only partly conscious of the fact that I often return to your wrist, desiring to feel your skin again. Your lips are gradually moving towards my jaw. You hesitate just beneath my earlobe but then you cautiously leave a kiss there as well, a kiss that melts into my skin and blends with my blood. I exhale deeply and sway backwards to lie even closer to you.

But you flinch and pull back with a small gasp and I am abruptly torn from your embrace.

"Estel?" I blink in the sharp daylight that once more is around me, feeling cold and impersonal now.

"I am sorry." Your voice is wavering and when I turn to you I can see that your cheeks are flushed and your eyes very bright. "I am sorry, Legolas."

There is an eerie feeling of hurt within me that I am too confused to fight. "What happened? What..?"

You scramble away from me to sit up, but though it is only a matter of inches, I cannot see that it makes much of a difference. Your gaze drops and the colour refuses to leave your cheeks.

"I am sorry, Legolas..." you repeat quietly but your voice holds a tinge of urgency. "I... my body, responded to... having you so near." I must strain to hear the last words.

Oh...

Inevitably my thoughts go to my own body but I can detect no more than the remnants of blissful warmth and security.

"Estel..." I know not what to say, what to do. I reach out and carefully touch you, watching as my fingertips brush your arm. "It is alright."

"Is it?"

Your eyes meet mine and I do not know even how to interpret the look you send me. You are a little scared and embarrassed, and very, very wary.

Your voice is still low. "And you, Legolas... Did you respond... to me?"

I hesitate, but I cannot lie to you. I think I never could, but certainly not now. But I do feel my courage melting away. "No," I admit, only to see bottomless despair taking hold of your features. "Maybe I need a little bit more time, Estel. Maybe that is all?" I hurry to add.

"Maybe." You do not believe me.

"Listen, Estel..." I push myself up and close some of the distance between us. I want nothing more than to embrace you but I am not sure it would be such a good idea. I take a deep breath. "Truthfully..." Now it is my turn to blush and I have some difficulty looking at you. "I would not know."

I can feel your expressive eyes on me.

"You have never..?"

I shake my head, keeping my gaze firmly on my knees. "Not with someone... I do not know how we would do..." It is impossible for me to finish the sentence and I leave it hanging between us.

The world tumbles over when you reply in a small voice:

"I do. I know."

You do?

_You have..?_

I swallow hard and my heart sinks low in my chest.

I thought...

I am not sure I _had_ thought but a part of me – a part I hardly knew up until now – hoped that you were... Well, that I would be your first. And you mine.

"Oh," I say, but it comes out as a whisper, a mere breath.

We have never made any promises, it is true, but it hurts nonetheless and this initial sting of disappointment threatens to become an unbearable pain.

"I asked my brothers."

I look up, forgetting to inhale.

_You..?_

There is a deeply embarrassed half-smile tugging at your lips, and the colour in your cheeks increases. "They teased me for days afterwards."

I draw a long breath as my heart once again grows lighter. "I thought you had been with someone else." I sheepishly confess my distress, painfully aware that we have not discussed this either.

For a moment you look confused but then your eyes flash and you grow serious, forgetting all uneasiness. "No, Legolas!" You shake your head vigorously. "No! I would never do that." You lock eyes with me and the grey light that floods towards me is overwhelming. "I was hoping that... maybe you wanted to..." You pause but then your words flow from you in a rush. "I was hoping that maybe you would be my first?"

For a second or two the world is still and silent, but soon I feel myself smiling at you. Smiling broadly.

"I would love to."

You look down. "I love you." Softly.

The first of Anor's rays sneak inside beneath the curtains and I lift a hand to reverently touch your face.

"I love you, Estel."

My fingertips trail down your cheek, reaching the dark, tiny hairs that partly cover them and your chin. I trace the curve of your upper lip and it causes you to smile. I do it again, and again, before I travel down to you lower lip.

What man will I be giving myself to?

What being?

_Grey, shining eyes. Clear as the waters of the River Running. I am drawn to them, stronger than I have been drawn to anything else. I imagine that if I could collect a portion of every rain cloud that passed over Mirkwood last autumn, I might have enough shades of grey to draw an image of his eyes._

_Of your eyes._

_Man le?_

'_Who are you?'_

I smile and trace the curves of your eyebrows, my fingers coming to rest at your temple. You are different, I have known that since I saw you the first time.

_They said you are fifteen years old. Fifteen! How can I even begin to understand that? For how long does a sunrise last? How many sunrises make up the sum of your years? _

_I will not count how many times I have turned fifteen._

You are twenty now. Your shoulders are broad and beneath your shirt there is a hint of muscle. I feel myself blushing at the thought of your body. Your presence, your person – your soul – has been a part of me for five years now, but never have I thought about you in such a way, with my intentions so clear.

_A determined expression is in your features as you slip off my glove too and you open your mouth to breathe as your fingertips gently sweep over my paler skin. You are still warm, despite the falling snow and the cold air. Your palm meets mine and the soft pressure against my open hand dissolves me and I merge with the frozen Bruinen and the dizzying radiance of Anor behind the clouds._

'_It is the first time I touch you,' you whisper._

Now I am touching you. I follow your jaw line and my fingers stumble in your humble beard. I run them down to your chin and then back again. Carefully I push aside stray locks of hair, but then I stop.

_Do you know that you are beautiful?_

I trace the rounded arc of your ear.

Who are you?

Estel.

'_Legolas.'_

_A breathless sigh is my name upon your lips, and then you turn around and dash from me into the darkness of the hallway._

_I close my door._

_Arda is spinning and swirling and I follow freely._

_I lean against the wood, feeling the circles of time settle down around me. Fate has never before seemed like such a great force. It has never before been such a blessing._

_My name spoken by you is your gift to me this night. As I offered you yours._

_Claim it if you will, or claim mine, for I belong to you._

I kiss you.

You are eager; you press your mouth against mine and return the kiss at once. The tip of your tongue wets my lower lip and a tremor ripples through your body. I hold back for another second but then I open up and let you inside. You enter with caution, only tasting me a little at first. My confidence is a fragile thing in this moment and I can only hope that yours is greater.

I respond to the move you make, gently brushing my tongue against yours, when an unexpected noise interrupts our kiss.

_Meleth_, I am sorry but I cannot help it. I laugh as I draw away from you, casting an amused glance at your belly.

"Hungry, Estel?"

You glare at me, but not wholly without humour. "A little," you admit reluctantly. "But I can ignore it. I would very much like to kiss you instead."

Your stomach gives another rumble, clearly upset with the way it is being ignored.

"We have plenty of time for kisses later," I say, inwardly thankful for the respite. I did not lie when I said this is new to me, and I could use some time – if only an hour – to recover my balance so that I may tread this path more securely.

"But..."

"No," I shake my head. "I think perhaps we both need to breathe."

You close your mouth and gaze at me thoughtfully. At long last you nod slowly. "I need to speak to _ad_... to Lord Elrond..."

"And we both need to eat. Neither of us had any supper yesterday." Tension I was not aware of leaves my body and rational thought comes back to me – just as reality also does. There are yet many issues unresolved and from what I saw last night, much needs to be cleared up.

I smile and hope it reassures you. "Let us wash and eat. Then you can find Elrond and speak with him."

"And you?"

"I will find something to do." I give you a quick hug. "Worry not, Estel."

You do not look wholly convinced as you climb out of bed, but I am relieved. I remain among the covers for another moment or two, feeling keenly how anticipation and nervousness entwine and are only partially held at bay.

o.O.o

If I knew not better, I would think the entire Valley deserted; we found bread and fruit in the kitchens but met no one, and as I wander among the trees I see no other living form than a couple of birds crossing the grey sky. Last year's withered grass lies heavily upon the ground and all is quiet.

I am restless. Neither impatient nor reluctant to return. While you are enclosed within the walls of Elrond's study I meander through groves and clearings without really seeing them as my focus is on what lies ahead.

Noontime is marked only by a stream of brighter light that sifts through the haziness that has settled over Imladris.

Transit. Not winter, not yet spring. Though the warmer weather should already be here, bringing sprouting seeds and budding leaves, we see none of this. We are in between, in a state which has no name.

Sometime in the afternoon I give up and return to the House. Halls and corridors are empty, and my pace quickens as does my pulse. I go in search for no one for you are the only one I wish to see. Yet seeing you this time will be the first step on a new path that undoubtedly will lead to places unknown.

The door to your room is closed and softly I call your name, relieved when I hear your muffled voice calling me to enter. I slip inside quietly and am greeted by the warm glow of a burning wood-fire. You are sitting in front of it, staring into the flames with eyes unseeing.

And there is something in the air, in the way you sit, in the way calmness has settled in your eyes, that tells me much has changed.

So I walk over to your chair to stand behind it. The firelight plays in your hair and spreads over your shoulders and chest. I place my hands on those shoulders and sense the stability I imagine comes from the human race. My eyes also are drawn to the fire and to me comes the knowledge that many times we will find ourselves like this. I need no foresight to tell me that difficult roads and decisions lie ahead, but neither do I need it to know that I will always be by your side.

You turn around to face me and I lean down to kiss you gently.

You sigh into our kiss – a small sigh which could come from any source, but I think I know its cause. If you do not wish to speak now, I will not force you. As I did not force you last night, or – I hope – anytime before.

We let go but you do not turn from me. Your gaze is trained on my face and you are searching me for some kind of knowledge.

"Legolas..."

My name hangs in the air between us, not followed by any request or question. Yet I perceive you wish to say much more. I rush you not. Instead I leave my place behind your chair and sink down to my knees in front of you. Your eyes follow me and some tension leaves your shoulders when you realise I am not walking away from you now.

"Legolas." Your shoulders drop some more and the strength in your faithful gaze wavers. "Can you forgive me for last night?"

I did not expect this. This brings me back to dark places, nearly swallowed up by shadow. I shake my head.

"You reminded me of him." My own voice is weak.

"Who?"

I never meant to tell you. "I was attacked in Mirkwood..."

I get no further before your arms are flung around me and you hug me close. One of your hands finds my hair and works its way into it, stroking, tangling. In your awkward position my cheek is pressed to your chest and I can hear your heart beating strongly. Again I feel like I am facing true despair in the sweet embrace of a loved one. I cling to you as tears unchecked wet my cheeks and I finally succumb to my memories.

The realisation that you are speaking to me comes slowly. Your hand is still busy with my hair and your other one is running up and down my back. When you sense my balance of mind returning, you urge me up and I squeeze into your chair. You look worried, but not half as much as I might have expected.

"Will you speak of it? It helps..."

I forget my own distress as your words sink in. You know this darkness?

My confusion must have shown for you grimace and shrug. "Elladan and Elrohir forced me to talk after we were attacked... We were with the Rangers."

You. You who should be undamaged and know only light. I bring my hand to your cheek and stroke it. "You should have been spared."

"I think no one is spared."

Dusk is claiming the outside world but I could not care less for the turning of the tides, of time. Or maybe I see it too clearly? The comings and goings of the ages flood through me and I see you proud and tall, scared and worried, in whatever glory that will be left in this world. I see myself choosing.

Choosing.

Maybe you will never know, but I make my choice in this moment. And my choice is surrender, for I will give myself to you.

My eyes meet your grey ones and their silvery glow fills my heart. It has chosen a long time ago and I can only follow.

"Estel, please?"

I know not how to word this, how to ask you to proceed. You cannot read my mind though, and you frown.

"What is it?"

One of your arms still encircles my waist and I can feel your energy all around me. I find no words and my cheeks grow a little warmer. "I wish to know you..." My eyes fall to my knees and the fabric of my leggings becomes the focus of intense study.

"Know me?" You sound puzzled. "But you do know me, Legolas. I can tell..."

I reach out for some courage and lift my gaze to your face and not without trepidation I plead. "In all ways possible."

Your eyes widen and you say no more for a moment or two. Then, "Oh."

Slowly, a beautiful smile is painted across your features and some more colour is added to your cheeks as well. "Are you sure?"

"I am," I nod.

The first stars appear in the sky outside as your bright smile fades and is transformed into a new one, shyer but no less loving. "You would join with me?"

"Yes." I stroke your cheek again. "I am yours."

You swallow and this time when your smile leaves your face, it is not replaced by a new one. Your whisper is barely audible. "Please, Legolas... will you hold me?"

I bring my arms around your shoulders and I hold you firmly, feeling you melt against me. I count the awakening stars in the sky as I wait for you to adjust.

"This is new to us both, _meleth nin,_" I tell you as if you needed to know. "We will go slowly."

You carefully extricate yourself from my embrace and there is a faint light of hope and wonder dancing in your eyes."You really want me?"

_How could I even begin telling you all that my heart speaks of? How many hours would that take? How many stars would awaken during that time?_

"I really want you," I smile. "I would never want anyone else."

I do not know if you are convinced but I am also quite certain that words are not enough right now. I place a quick kiss on your lips before I slide out of the seat and rise to my feet. I hold out my hand for you to take.

Hesitantly you stand with your hand securely in mine. Your dark locks frame your face that is pale, with eyes like sparkling winter lakes. But you are nervous and I cannot blame you.

The floor dissolves beneath my feet as we approach your bed. I feel your hand in mine, your fingers around my own, but even more acutely I am aware of my heart's hard beating and the shallow breaths that sift through my chest.

We come to an inevitable stop by the bed and all my courage threatens to leave me very quickly unless I find something to do. Unsure of which way to choose, I stand staring at the covers, wondering...

"Legolas?" Your voice is steady and it makes me look up.

There is a smile on your lips again and this is what finally breaks down whatever walls I have hastily built.

"I am confused, Estel!" I confess with more fervour than I thought possible this night. "You are both man and boy, grown and yet young. I do not know how to act! Were you an Elf I could easier guess, but you are not, and..." I stop, fearing I have said far too much in highlighting the difference between us.

But you only keep on smiling. "Sometimes I know not myself." You let me go and lift your hands to my hair, beginning to undo the braids that keep it in place. Section by section it falls down and still you smile. "I acted like a child when I was told of my ancestry, refusing the fate of the adult. With you now, I wish to be nothing else but grown."

Your hands travel lower, and they brush over my chest. Carefully you finger the lacings of my tunic. "Will you let me be adult with you?"

Your grin is the one I love; it is impossible to resist it. I tilt my head to the side and regard you closely. "Does this mean you have accepted your path?"

Your eyes flash but not out of anger. "Only if my path leads to you."

You start unlacing my tunic and as your fingertips meet my bare skin, a shiver races down my spine. I draw a strengthening breath and place my hands on your hips. It feels good to have you so close and I find myself desiring more. I lean in and kiss you.

_We will tread all paths together._

We ease down onto the bed and I let you pull off my tunic. Your eyes wander all over my chest and I fight the fear of being this exposed to someone else. After toeing off your boots, you run fingertips down my arms and throat. I remove my own boots and watch reverently as you discard your shirt, revealing a finely sculpted chest with fine, dark hair covering it.

"Lie down with me." I am surprised to hear myself speak, and even more at the choice of words, but you stir something within me and I wish to know you, now.

The wood-fire is still burning brightly in its place, and apart from the stars, this is the only light in the room. Daylight fades quickly and the window-openings are uncovered. Yet it is not cold and when I touch you, heat radiates from your skin.

"Sometimes I dreamed of this," you whisper with a hint of awe in your voice. "But even more I hoped I would see you again, and again... and again. I could not word a prayer for such a blessing as this one."

I smile at you and sweep my palm over your strong shoulder and neck. "Truly the Gods grant us much joy... We are..." I stop to breathe as your inquisitive fingers slip down my side and reach a hip bone. "Blessed," I finish lamely, quite certain I see a twinkle in your eyes as your repeat the movement.

"You are not ticklish, are you Legolas?" you ask innocently enough.

"No." I inhale sharply.

"Shall I do it once more just to make sure?" You shift to gain more access to my sensitive skin.

"No!"I laugh, but your fingers finding their way back cause me to writhe uncontrollably beside you. "This is not funny, Estel!"

You are grinning brightly. "Then why are you laughing so, my love?"

"I am... not!" I pant and manage to push away your hand, rolling against you and suddenly finding myself looking down upon you.

My hair is tangled and spreads over your shoulder and chest. Your eyes are gleaming in the firelight. "Conquered," I declare as I try to retrieve my breath.

"For now," you acknowledge, completely lacking in any kind of remorse.

I settle for raising an eyebrow before I make myself more comfortable and claim a kiss from your smiling lips. I meant for it to be a quick one, but something in the way you kiss me back persuades me to not pull away.

Gradually, warmth slips into me – or builds up within, perhaps – and as my body calms down and muscles relax, my senses sharpen. We must be so fundamentally different, you and I, for I can feel you tense beneath me when my tongue slides against yours.

Your arms encircle me and you cautiously draw me closer and deepen the kiss. I lie against you now and a comfortable heaviness settles low in my stomach. My free hand traces patterns on your skin and slowly, slowly they move to explore more skin further down. I know not from whence courage comes but curiously I finger the waistband of your leggings and a tiny gasp from you tells me you did not expect this either. Before you can speak, I do so instead.

"Do not hide your arousal, Estel," I murmur against your lips, again surprising us both. "Can I see you?"

Silently you nod.

My attention is torn. Very easily your lacings may be conquered, but my own nervousness and your rapid breathing are not trustworthy guides on this quest. I glance down and see the bulge beneath the fabric, very clearly indicating your state. Your leggings give way and I push them down, exposing you. Proudly your risen manhood arches out from your body, but I sense the rest of you would rather run and hide. I gaze at this new discovery. We are no so unlike, though your skin is darker.

Licking my lips, I dare to cover you with a hand and I am amazed at the heat that washes over me. I turn my eyes to your face and I cannot help but smile as I see your flushed cheeks and obvious uneasiness.

"Tell me what to do," I beg.

You murmur is impossible to understand and I must repeat my request.

"Please move your hand..." Your voice is so low that it is nearly swallowed by the lazy crackling of the fire. "Along..." Your blush deepens and you turn your eyes away, seemingly wanting to disappear altogether.

Carefully I slide my hand up and then down your length. Your skin is dry and very warm. I swallow nervously and do it once more, anxious to please you.

"Estel?"

You hum something unintelligible and I am ready to give up. With a rapidly sinking heart, I repeat the action again, only to find some sticky wetness at the tip. Briefly enchanted by this, I slide a gentle fingertip through it and a sudden shudder races through your body.

"Oh!" you breathe against me and a small thrust of your hips pushes your length into my hand.

"_Elo," _I tease you weakly as I stroke you once more.

A hazy smile crosses your face but my urge to kiss you is shooed away by your next words. You open your eyes that drifted shut when I first touched you and your glittering gaze is a little dulled by desire. Never before have you sounded so humble.

"May I have you, _meleth nin_?"

We lie perfectly still for a moment, my hand still covering your arousal but it is unmoving.

"Yes." I let you go and sink into your embrace, feeling very small in this world. "I would see you when..."

You nod. "As I wish to see you."

You turn us around gently so that I am lying on my back and you are hovering above me. Your leggings drop to the floor and I see you for the first time completely naked. I am so busy with this new sight that I am only vaguely aware of what you are actually doing. It is only when your fingers slip inside my own leggings that I tense.

"Estel, I..." Your hands bravely cover my groin but you will not find anything that matches your arousal. "Please, I do not know what... I am not..."

There is a tiny frown playing in your features but you shake your head thoughtfully. "You are not like me, a human..." Where there could have been bitterness in your voice, I hear only gentleness. "Maybe together we can find out what you need?" You look at me hopefully.

I meet your gaze and it is my turn to blush yet again. "I would like that."

Smiling, you open my leggings and pull them off me. Your grey eyes roam over my body and now I perfectly understand your discomfort before. I can think of nothing more to say and so I remain silent and let your hands speak their language.

Reverently you brush my skin with your fingers, mapping out muscles and any visible bones. As if automatically drawn downwards, you soon slide your fingers between my thighs and I shiver at the touch.

"I need to prepare you," you mumble as it becomes clear to me exactly how blazing a man's desire can be. Your energy grows wilder and wilder as you feel me, and a thin sheen of sweat covers your skin.

Words still will not come to me when you stretch out above me to retrieve something from the bed table drawer.

I cannot determine what I feel in this moment. I know that I am safe and yet this is impossible for me to wholly comprehend now that this entirely different experience is within reach. You sit back down and I see that you have fetched a small flask that contains a liquid of some sorts.

Without speaking, you pop the cork and immersed in your task, you wet your fingers and they glisten in the dim light. The stars are turning in the skies but they will not aid me now.

"Estel?" I barely make any sound at all.

But it is enough to catch your attention. Finally catching your gaze again opens the inner door to my distress and wave after wave of nameless emotion wash over me.

I see this in you also before you cast yourself down and pull me close. "I am sorry, Legolas," you say and these words are now too familiar to me. "I am nervous..."

I hold on to you and my trembling hands give away my own apprehension. We stay like this for a little while before I sense us both calming down sufficiently. You smell of the earth itself and I inhale deeply, starting to leave small kisses on your skin. Your heart is still beating strongly and I take comfort in its steady rhythm as you seek out the entrance to my body. When your slick fingers – oiled, I discover– for the first time brush my orifice I am both scared and willing. When the first fingertip slips inside, fear grows but I firmly hold it at bay, focusing on you and this gift that I am indeed willingly giving you.

You stretch my muscles carefully and the pain is less sharp than maybe I had expected had I considered it at all. I cling to you as the heaviness in my belly turns into a pounding and I swell slightly against you. Your fingers twist inside me and breathing is no longer important – at least I find I can spare no thought for it. Your breathing, on the other hand, is deep and slow, and you unintentionally push against me, discovering the half risen flesh that is mine.

"Love you." Your voice is raspy and you twist your fingers a final time before you pull them out.

The fire dies in the very same moment and the room grows much darker. Reluctantly I let go of you but my eyes dizzily rest on you as you unsteadily rise to your knees beside me. I watch you in the starry night as you settle between my legs that part to let you in.

You lift them up gently to wrap them around your waist, and all trepidation leaves me as the blunt head of your length nudges my opening. I can see it now, and I understand it: this is what is to come, that which is natural.

This is willingly offered, and humbly accepted. Maybe somewhere it is spoken of as a sacred act, a blessing and a final gift.

I know that I love you and this is only the beginning.

You tenderly push inside and though my body screams at the intrusion, your presence could not be more welcome to my heart. Tears threaten to dim my vision as the burning and stinging refuses to dissipate immediately. I grip the covers and force myself to refrain from crying out. Little by little you fill me and when you have buried yourself completely in my body, you sway forward, wordlessly seeking contact.

I desperately grasp your hand and bring it to my mouth. Tears stream down my face and I kiss your skin fervently. You know I am crying – how could you not?

The silvery starlight plays with your hair as my flowing tears cleanse us both and I take my final farewells of a world I used to know but do not need anymore.

As the pain also leaves us, I make ready to take the first step on this new path I have been shown.

But, my love, it is you who move.

You take me with you, and together we flow. Your arms are shaking with the weight of your body, but you hold yourself up. I gradually relax and so I can accept you easier. I am uncertain of what pleasure is, but my blood tingles and your closeness is addictive. Your thrusts into my warmth are met by a few of my own and I hear your low groans in the air around us.

There is a song forming within and I yield to it, feeling the needs of the body transcending those of the mind. I feel it mostly in you, but if you were worried I would not respond to you, I hope your concerns are fewer now. My hands are running up and down your back when I can reach, otherwise busy with your chest and arms. I would kiss you now, but you are trembling and breathing so rapidly that I shall have to be content watching you through half lidded eyes instead.

A force surely unknown to every being suddenly takes hold of you and you freeze mid-movement. Your eyes fly open and their grey light is that of Ithil himself. The warm flood of your release fills me without further warning and as time slows down I am thus given a gift in return. With a final thrust that should have been the glorious ending to such a beautiful ecstasy you brush against something inside me and I cannot help the cry that escapes my lips. I see but silver stars as your arms will hold you no longer and you fall into my embrace.

It takes me many moments before I recover from the sensation, and it takes you many minutes to recover from yours. You are still sheathed within me as you slowly turn you head to face me.

The starlight glitters in the wet streaks that tears have left on your cheeks. You have never been more beautiful.

"I love you, Estel," I whisper and press a kiss to your forehead.

You reach for my hand and our fingers entwine. "You are the most precious one, Legolas..."

I will not tell you yet, nor ask you, of what you made me feel in your completion, for I cannot imagine that even this moment could hold more love. But I am sure that it too was a gift of great value.

For this night is the ultimate grace.

And knowing you is more.

**Fin**

**Translations/Notes:**

_Meleth (nin)_ – (my) love

_Adan (nin)_ – (my) Man, as in human.

Ithil – the elvish name for the Moon

Anor – the elvish name for the Sun

_Elo _– oh. The attentive reader – or the reader with a good memory – will remember that _'Elo!' _was the first word spoken by Estel to Legolas in 'Hearing You'.

*****

Excerpts in italics are taken from previous stories in this series.

Finally... I knew the expectations were high, so... *hides*


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